The day has finally come. The day when Gene Code stands at the pinnacle of the High-Mobility Fortress City Code.
The former stronghold of Angus Code. Three days of preparation. Having played every card in his hand, Gene Code now rested upon his throne.
The truth was, Angus's military forces were ones that Gene had personally assembled and forged.
Angus's role had primarily been weapons research and development, while the operation of recruiting mercenaries from outside had been led by Gene himself. That was why the transition of power and the control over the military had gone so smoothly. Had this been Nora, who had forged the Code's citizens into knights, things would not have gone nearly as easily.
Gene's army consisted of mercenaries armed with the advanced physical civilization weapons that Angus had developed, along with mock soldiers—imitations modeled after the external mercenaries, created using one of Angus's research results to offset numerical disadvantage. And three standout combatants.
Suddenly, from behind, one of those three trump cards—Kenbi—called out to him.
"Heh heh heh... Are you sure about this? Making that kind of declaration of war."
"I've been holding back until now, so I can afford it. More importantly, are you sure about your side? Following me around and all."
"The organization only needs the power of the Code. I'm simply siding with whoever can win. Besides, as long as Thousand Transformations is around, I couldn't very well side with Princess Alicia, so it was a relief when you showed up, Prince Gene."
What a terrifying woman. Just days ago, the "Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox" had been an organization whose name was known only to the heavyweights of the underground. Compared to a boss that even its own members barely knew, Gene was small fry.
But as a trading partner, she was appealing. With the Fox's influence and the Code's military might, anything was possible.
And that memorable first battle was one they were expected to win.
After all, Angus's military power was overwhelming. In particular, the top-secret mock soldier technology would be completely beyond Tony's or Nora's expectations. If they had learned of its existence from Angus, they might well have given up the fight altogether.
The only obstacle would be Thousand Transformations. That man alone was completely unpredictable.
"Kenbi—you can definitely defeat the Thunder Emperor, right? They'll be desperate to seize the Royal Scepter. It's their only chance at victory. If you, the gatekeeper, lose, it's all over."
That was the only problem. No matter how thick a wall of soldiers you built, you couldn't stop a one-man army. Against a one-man army, you had to send another one-man army.
Even Gene, who was fairly confident in his own combat ability, wouldn't be able to escape if pursued by the Thunder Emperor.
"Who are you talking to? We have Army-Breaking Heavenly Dance and Night Banquet Festival Hall here too, you know."
Kenbi said, sounding offended. Right—one of the benefits of recruiting Kenbi was the Fox's intelligence network.
She even knew the names of the two who had previously been unidentified. That was a huge achievement.
—But even the Fox didn't know the abilities of Night Banquet Festival Hall.
What was known was that the ability was tremendously powerful, that there was an anecdote of the wielder fighting alone for seven days and seven nights without rest, and that they held an undefeated record in a location notorious for the ferocity of its resident monsters.
Since capturing them, Gene had been using the city's systems to run continuous analysis, but the ability remained completely unknown.
There was no choice but to try it out. Without new data, there was no way forward.
Angus had forbidden its use until the ability was identified, but being overly cautious was that man's weakness. Without taking risks, power could not be obtained.
"Just to be sure, let me confirm once more. The seal designation that Klye released—Kuubi, or whatever they're called. Handling them won't be a problem?"
"No problem."
Kenbi answered immediately with a thin smile. He had no choice but to believe her words.
At the very least, he needed this woman to stall for him until Gene obtained the Royal Scepter.
"I authorize the use of Night Banquet Festival Hall's ability. Since it's bound by a mask, there should be no danger. Test it out—it may prove necessary going forward."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Now then, Thousand Transformations. By what means will you break through Kenbi, and the remaining two of your allies?
§ § § Finally, the mission was over. What a truly long mission it had been.
After three days of preparation, the doors of the sealed Royal Tower opened.
Kenbi watched the scene from the rooftop of the tallest building nearby.
From this point onward, entry into the King's area would be permitted. Beyond here, the first to reach the Royal Scepter at the top of the Royal Tower would become the next king. For such an advanced city, the rules were remarkably simple.
Gene had already deployed his full army.
Having inherited the foundation of the former Angus military, Gene's forces were overwhelming. Moreover, Gene's controlled zone spanned the wide area facing the Royal Tower's entrance—the most advantageous position.
From far away, the sound of rumbling earth reached them. Planning to exploit his advantageous starting position, he intended to mobilize his entire army the moment the area was released and the battle began, surrounding the Royal Tower to block Alicia and the others.
The enemy surely understood this as well.
The sound of gunfire began to echo from various directions. The cityscape shifted, screams resounded—some member of the royal family was using the city's systems to move the streets and hinder Gene's forces.
The citizens all held their breath, afraid of being caught up in war.
The atmosphere of war always felt exhilarating.
Just then, a communication came in that poured cold water on that mood.
*'Kenbi, where are you? It's time for battle.'* "I'm on my way, Your Majesty."
Honestly, what a worrisome king. Kenbi sighed, kicked off the rooftop, and leaped toward the Royal Tower.
§ The military Gene had assembled was truly an absurd number.
Were they trying to show off their military strength?... Even the Fox used every method available to accomplish a mission, but this was beyond that level.
The area around the Royal Tower was completely empty. Presumably, the other royal families had also advanced the moment the area was released... The fact that they were proceeding without any interference like this proved that nothing unexpected had occurred.
Surveying the fierce-looking soldiers surrounding him, Kenbi confirmed just in case.
"Your Majesty, you brought quite a lot of soldiers. I thought some were meant to stop their forces?"
"Just in case. Don't worry about it. Besides, I left enough behind to hold off Nora's knight order."
Nearly all of the members of Gene's army, which had directly inherited the Angus military, were mercenaries. Mercenaries, and the artificial humans modeled after them—the mock soldiers.
A small man walking beside them spoke as if to intimidate.
"We want to kill that guy too—Thousand Transformations! There are plenty of us here, like the Don-Tan Family, who hold grudges against Thousand Transformations. Right?!"
"Oooooooooh!"
At the small man's words, the army roared.
So, personal grudges... Thousand Transformations had certainly earned his share of enemies. And they had seized on this opportunity to surround him in numbers.
Petty, but well—they could serve as at least a buffer.
Walking down the empty roads, the center of the Code came into view. The Royal Tower appeared.
It was a building more massive than any they had seen before. Its color was pitch black, as if mourning the king, and even looking up, its peak was invisible to the eye.
As planned, no one was around the Royal Tower. The entrance at its front was wide open.
Inside the open door, there was nothing. Only a vast, empty space. Gene inspected the interior and spoke to Kenbi.
"Seal the entrance. The Royal Tower's only entry point is here. Don't let a single rat in."
"Understood. You don't need an escort?"
"No. The only one permitted inside this tower is the next king."
If that was the king's will, there was nothing Kenbi could say.
—And with that, Kenbi drew his sword.
He sprinted across the ground and cut down the "Thunder" charging toward him. Some of the soldiers forming the perimeter were caught in the aftermath and sent flying.
Faster than expected. They must have left the cumbersome army behind and rushed forward with just a small group. It had to be that way.
Kenbi licked his lips and shouted at the frozen Gene.
"Go. Next time we meet, you'll be king, Prince Gene."